Always Keep Your Smile
by Stelra Etnae
Summary: There were many who believed in him, in that young captain with a smile brighter than the sun. All Corazon wished was for Law to be able to smile again, free from his past. And perhaps that boy was the one who could help him do that. (Part 4 of the "Living in Memory" series) (can stand alone)


**_Welcome to the fourth installation of my "Living in Memory" series (also unofficially known as the "Always" series because of the naming scheme)! This one-shot series is based on the premise that Brook's Devil Fruit power allows him to see spirits, allowing him to interact with the various spirits of the Straw Hats' loved ones who hang around the Sunny._**

 ** _Previous fics in the series are Always by Your Side (Kuina), Always Remember (Olivia and Clover), Always in Our Hearts (Ace and Roger + mentions of others)! It isn't necessary to read those before this, but of course I would love if you do go on to read them and leave comments._**

 ** _But for now, I hope you enjoy this new story of mine!_**

* * *

 **Always Keep Your Smile**

As the Sunny left the chaos of Punk Hazard behind, Brook took a moment to sit back and observe the newest additions to their ragtag crew. It was quite the crowd that had entered this time, especially when including the group from Wano, but it was the tall figure who had followed the Heart Pirates' captain aboard that particularly caught his attention.

The spirit in question was easily a good head or more taller than even Brook himself, who stood as the tallest of the Straw Hat crew. A huge black feathery overcoat was draped over the newcomer's shoulders, giving the further illusion of a looming silhouette beyond his slim form. If not for the cheerful heart-print pattern of his pink shirt and the mess of curly blond hair that topped his head, he might have seemed almost like one of Death's reapers, an appropriate companion to the pirate known by the epithet Surgeon of Death. They'd all been introduced to the notorious young captain earlier, of course. Trafalgar Law was a curiosity in himself, his serious personality and dark air a perfect foil to Luffy's easy-going nature. Brook wondered how this person fit into the Hearts' captain's past.

And then as he watched, the figure fell right over.

Brook sweatdropped.

Ghosts could trip!? As far as he had discovered, they were intangible and could walk through walls like it was air, so whatever was there for them to trip over?

A second surprise came when a young girl, even smaller than Zoro's Kuina, darted over to lean over the fallen stranger with concerned eyes.

The man sat up instantly, one large hand reaching over to pat the child on the head reassuringly. The little girl beamed brightly at this indication that the man was alright, and sped off to return to the Heart Pirates captain's side, twin pigtails bobbing as she ran. She jumped onto Law's lap without reservation, swinging her legs playfully as she sat and listened to Luffy's chatter.

The lanky stranger watched the pair of them from his sitting position on the ship's deck with a contented air, before flicking out a lighter to light a fresh cigarette. He seemed a man of few words, and Brook would have decided to leave him to his peace if not for one small thing...

"Um, excuse me, but your overcoat's on fire…"

The way the man snatched the black feathered coat off his shoulders to hurriedly stomp it out was clear indication that this was not, indeed, the first time this had occurred. Thankfully the otherworldly nature of both garment and flames left no char marks on the planks. Really, it would have been troublesome to explain it to Franky-san otherwise. Brook sweatdropped again as the stranger managed to fall over again just as the flames smothered out.

Blue eyes blinked owlishly at him from the ground. "...You can see me?"

Brook doffed his hat. "Indeed. An odd quirk of this Devil Fruit of mine. My name is Brook, may I inquire yours?"

Before the other could answer however, a familiar voice interrupted. "Rocinante?"

The blond sat up, looking surprised. "Bell-mère?"

"It really is you!" The ex-Marine grinned widely around her cigarette. "Your clumsiness hasn't changed a bit. I haven't seen you since, what, our training days? I got posted to East Blue after that but you stuck around in HQ, didn't you? Your fashion style's totally changed though, or have you always worn stuff like this on your off-duty days? The look isn't half bad on you, I have to say. Edgy."

Corazon just sent his old friend a raised eyebrow, to which she laughed heartily in response.

"Come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the folk. Hey everyone! This here is my old friend Roci."

He made to follow her... and tripped spectacularly right as several spirits popped up from around the ship. A mix of boisterous laughter and gentle giggles could be heard as they came closer, all greeting him with warm smiles. Bell-mère happily did a round of introductions, each of them waving to him in turn as they were named.

"You'll have plenty of time to get to know everyone later, we pretty much hang around the ship for most part. So..." she spread her arms out, still smiling widely. "Welcome to the Thousand Sunny."

* * *

"So you've become a father as well, Roci."

Corazon looked over at his old friend with surprise. "How-"

Bell-mère just grinned back. "It's plain as day, the way you look at him. That's your boy over there, isn't he?"

His reply was simple but no less heartfelt. "He is."

"I bet you were a great dad. Always thought that you would be the type to spoil your kids rotten if they would let you." The ex-Marine let herself fall back onto the grassy deck, tucking her arms behind her head. Corazon followed her gaze to the mikan groves, where a orange-haired girl wandered between the trees, inspecting the ripening fruits here and there.

"You know, that's my daughter. Her name's Nami. My older girl is back home in East Blue." Bell-mère's smile was tender and a little sorrowful mixed with pride. "I daresay the official Marine records say that I died in action during a pirate raid about twenty years ago, body never found. But the truth is that I adopted two little girls who had no family to return to. I brought them back to my hometown, taught them how to grow orange trees. That way, we lived ten very happy years together. We didn't have a lot money-wise, but we had each other. My only regret is that I had to leave them too soon."

Some people may have asked: was it really worth it, giving up your whole career and even your life, for someone else? But Corazon was not one of them, for he would have done the same himself, _had_ done the same.

And Bell-mère knew, with the understanding way she looked at him. Silence fell between them, pensive on Corazon's side and patient on Bell-mère's. Still, it was Bell-mère who spoke first, tone gentle. "Children are always good at making us worry about them, aren't they?"

Corazon sighed, looking down at his hands. "The truth is, yes. Law... He has people who care about him, like that Heart crew of his, but even with them he keeps a certain distance. Law's intention to challenge Doflamingo head-on is because he somehow thinks it's his duty to avenge my death. That couldn't be further from the truth. I just want him to be happy... But he refuses to let himself have that."

"Ah, if that's the case, perhaps it's fated that he ended up here, on this ship." Bell-mère's response made him look at her inquiringly. His old friend's eyes were faraway in remembrance but bright with an inner light. "I'm not sure if I do believe in fate after all, but if there's something I do believe in, it's that the captain of this crew is capable of amazing things. Because he's the one who helped my Nami to smile again."

A gentle hand came to cover his, and he turned to look to Banchina's warm dark eyes. "All of us here, we've put our trust in that boy. Luffy-kun helped my son Usopp to gain the courage to walk forward."

"He taught Chopper that it is okay to be different."

"He showed Robin that she didn't have to hide her true feelings."

"If I may say something as well, before I'd met the Straw Hats, I'd been alone for fifty years, floating about inside a fog-filled sea. But then Luffy-san crashed through all that. He saw something in this old, weary soul of mine, and decided that he wanted me as his nakama. And he never let go."

Ace crouched down in front of him, smiling warmly. "My little brother may seem rash and simple-minded sometimes, but when he loves he loves with his whole heart and soul. And it looks like Luffy's already decided that Law is his friend, no matter what Law says to the contrary. Friendship is something Luffy takes very seriously, you know. You don't have to worry about him being alone anymore."

"Cora-san!" The tall man uttered a muffled omph as he toppled over again from the force of a little girl ramming into his side. The child giggled as he straightened himself and settled her in a more comfortable position on his knee. She beamed, eyes lighting up further with curiosity as she remembered her original purpose. "Cora-san, Cora-san, is Onii-chan going to stay here for a long time?"

"Well, I think he'll stay here until the next island at least, and probably longer. Do you like this crew, Lami?"

The child nodded vigorously, pigtails swinging. "I like them! Luffy-nii-chan's really funny, and Usopp-nii-chan draws really pretty pictures! And Chopper-nii-chan looks really cute, more than Bepo-nii-chan... Ah! Bepo-nii-chan would be sad if he heard me saying this right..." The girl tilted her head sideways in thought, scrunching up her nose at the dilemma. "I mean I really, really like Bepo-nii-chan too but Chopper-nii-chan's just a _little_ cuter, don't you think so Cora-san? And Chopper-nii-chan talks about medicine with Nii-chan, and I like that the most because it's like how Onii-chan used to talk about medicine with Otou-chan. Onii-chan was always so happy back then."

Corazon's gaze slid towards Law. Just like Lami had said, Law and the little tanuki doctor were hunched over an open book, a few more thick and obviously well-worn volumes stacked next to them on the nearby deckchair. The younger doctor must have taken out some of his medical texts, delighted at being able to share them with a fellow medical practitioner. The white-haired man who had spoken to Corazon before was leaning over the pair of them, listening to their discussion with exuberant pride.

"Lami, do you think they'll be able to make Law happy? Shall we put our trust in this crew as well?"

Lami considered it for a moment, before her face crinkled in a bright smile. "Yeah!"

"I see..." His smile grew, broad and sincere. "Then I will trust them too."

* * *

 _If you're going to remember me in the future, isn't it better if you remember this smile?_

 _Because that way, someday you'll be able to remember how to smile back._


End file.
